Breaking Through
by 328girl
Summary: Takes place in Breaking Dawn when Bella meets Laurent in the meadow. The werewolves don't save Bella, but someone does. My first fanfic. BxE eventually. All regular characters. R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: STEPHENIE MEYER OWNS ALL**

This story begins right when Bella meets Laurent in the Meadow. Chapter 10 of Breaking Dawn (pg. 241 to be exact)

Chapter 1

"I'll be very quick," he assured me. "You won't feel a thing, I promise. Oh, I'll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her. But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella… I swear you'd be thanking me for this."

I was dumbstruck. I stared at him in horror.

He sniffed at the breeze that blew threads of my hair in his direction. "Mouthwatering," he repeated, inhaling deeply.

I tensed for the spring, my entire body readied itself for what was certain to come.

All I could think about was Edward. I repeated his name in my head as it burst through the bariers in my mind that I had built to contain it. _Edward, Edward, Edward! _I was going to die so it shouldn't matter if my last thoughts were of him. _Edward, I love you._

Through my squinted eyes I watched as Luarent crouched, like a lion preparing to pounce on it's helpless prey. He sprang towards me, much too fast for my human eyes to take in as it was happening. It was a blur of sparkling white.

Almost immediately I felt the pressure of being knocked backwards out of the meadow. I hit hard against the trunk of a tree and in the force of the impact I could feel every bone in my body being broken. An instant later I could feel the familiar burn of venom beginning its flow through my body at the base of my neck. As the fire spread I could feel myself fighting between consciousness and pain. I screamed as more and more venom flowed through my body, lighting a blazing trail through my veins as it went.

I could feel my face contorted with pain and fear. My breathing was shallow and uneven and I was getting weaker as my body was drained of blood.

This was it. I was going to die. Never again would I see the faces of those that I loved. What was going to happen to Charlie? Jacob? But even as my mind filled with those that had not left me, that I loved and they loved me more, I'm sure, than I would ever know, I could not help but think of him. _Edward. Edward, I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't stay safe._

For an instant I saw a flash of white and felt myself falling lifelessly to the ground. I heard a loud crash and the sound of wood splintering. Nothing was holding me against the trunk of the tree anymore so I was sure that Laurent had taken his fill and would soon take me away from this agony. As the fire of the venom raged on through my body I drifted away. _Edward, I love you._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I could hear the sound of breathing nearby. I stayed very still in hopes that what I had just been through was all a dream. Or better yet, I had died and this was heaven. I barely opened my eyes to peek at my surroundings and realized that I was tangled up in sheets. And by the feel of the hard surface underneath me, I must be lying on the floor. My body felt stiff and somehow, strange to me.

Fear began to wash over me. I had no idea where I was, and the last thing I remember was Laurent attacking me in the meadow. He had killed me. I am supposed to be dead. So this must be what? The afterlife? Do they wrap you up in sheets here?

"Bella?" The voice was so soft and familiar. A beautiful tinkling of bells. "Bella? I know you're awake. It's me, Alice."

"Alice!" I struggled to pull myself out of the sheets I was tangled in. I sat up and took in my surroundings. I was in Alice's room, and sure enough, there was Alice, sitting cross legged on the floor beside me. "Alice?" I said again, but this time I said it with confusion rather than excitement. What did this mean? "What are you doing here," I asked. But then again, this was her room. "Wait. What am I doing here? I'm dead. Laurent finished me off. Didn't he?" I wasn't making sense, but none of this was making any sense to me. How did I get here? Why was I still alive? Why was Alice here with me, she was supposed to be following _his _orders and staying out of my life.

Alice snickered at my obvious confusion. But her eyes were sad, her face torn. She took several minutes to look over my bewildered expression before she explained.

"Well, Laurent didn't finish you off. Actually, we finished Laurent off," she said. I was beyond confused now. I tried to remember what had happened in the meadow. I clearly remember the pain of Laurent's attack. My body being broken, my life slipping away as he quenched his thirst with my blood. As I struggled to remember what happened after that I was suddenly aware that my body no longer seemed to be in pain, the way it _should _be in pain if it was slammed against a tree and drained of blood.

Then I remembered that the pain had not stopped after I lost consciousness in the meadow. My memories came flooding back to me. Like a wave crashing down, the reality of what had happened hit me.

I remembered being carried away from the meadow in ice cold arms. I remembered screaming through the pain of the venom that was, by that time, fully circulating through my veins. Cold wash cloths were placed on my head and cold hands clasped my hands and feet in place. I remembered my heart beats getting weaker in every moment of pain…

I remembered hearing voices… "Bella, everything will be okay, we are here with you"… "Should we call him?"… "No, you already know he won't answer his phone"… "What about her family? They are going to be looking for her"…

As everything began to dawn on me I returned my gaze to Alice. "What _did_ you do about my family? " Knowing now what had actually happened to me.

"We left your truck where you parked it. There was so much blood in the meadow that anyone who finds it will think it was an animal attack." I could see the sadness in her eyes as she spoke, knowing all too well that she loved Charlie almost as much as I did, and now he was under the impression that I had been mauled by a wild animal.

"But how did you find me? How did you know? Is _He _here? _He_ said…?" I couldn't finish. The hole that he had left me with began to tear open again. Even though I knew I had impenetrable skin, this was a wound that was going to remain forever with me, forever in pain.

"I saw you and Laurent in the meadow. Jasper and I left immediately. We didn't even have time to tell the rest of the family, let alone try to figure out where Edward was and let him know what was happening. We were almost too late, Bella. Jasper got a hold of Laurent just as you were about to…" She studied my surprised expression before continuing. "I told Edward leaving you wasn't going to keep you safe but he wouldn't listen. He said he knew what he was doing. Leaving you was the right thing to do… Now look what he's done."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I could hear footsteps swiftly coming up the stairs of the Cullen house. Alice and I both turned our attention to the door that was now being opened.

"Jasper," Alice said, "look who's decided to join us." Jasper sat down on the floor and leaned up against one of Alice's large cushiony chairs. He still seemed to be cautious around me, but I guess I couldn't blame him since the last time I saw him, he was trying to attack me, too.

"Hello, Jasper," I said. I turned my attention back to Alice, "It's so good to see both of you again. You can't imagine how much I've missed you." I glanced towards Jasper, "Both of you," I added. Jasper smiled sheepishly.

"Bella," Jasper asked. "Are you not hungry? You seem quite calm for someone who hasn't eaten in three days."

I thought for a moment… Of course I should be hungry. Just then I noticed a burning and itching sensation in the back of my throat, which was getting strong by the minute. I returned a worried gaze to both of them. They both smiled knowingly at me. Yes, I was hungry. Very hungry indeed.

Alice suggested that I clean myself up and put on a change of clothes before heading out to find my first meal. I hadn't exactly been peaceful in my transformation, and in the process my hair had been matted and my clothes stained with sweat.

After Alice had led me to her bathroom, set out a change of clothes and promised profusely that we would go shopping as soon as possible for a new wardrobe, I shut myself away, alone, in her bathroom. I pulled myself out of my clothes, which for the first time, I noticed fit me a little more loosely than they had before. As I walked towards the shower I caught a glimpse of myself in the massive mirror that hung just over the vanity. I was startled by the vivid crimson color of my eyes. They were even more menacing than Laurent's had been in the meadow. They would no longer be the warm dark brown color I had seen with my reflection for eighteen years. They would forever be changing from dark to light. Just like _His_. The striking red color they were now disturbed me. I pulled away from the reflection of my eyes and let my gaze drift over the rest of my reflection in the mirror. I wasn't the same pale I had always been, even in the inescapable sun of Phoenix. I was a translucent pale, almost a shimmering white. The contours of my face and body were sharper now, symmetrical. I looked but I could find no imperfection. My features were mine, but more attractive, perfect. If only _He_ could see me now. Would he even want me now?

I couldn't stand to think about him anymore. I could feel that familiar aching hole tearing more. Of course he wouldn't want me. I was still Bella, only now I was exactly what he had not wanted me to become.

No longer able to look at myself I got into the shower and turned the water as hot as it would go. I could feel the sensation of the water running down my skin, but it wasn't hot, or even warm. It was just there. I stood there letting the water cascade over me trying to let it wash away what I had 

become. I was doomed to an eternity, but it was going to be without Edward. I forced myself to say his name and it only made my pain that much greater. I knew there was no point in crying. The tears would not come anymore. As the water continued to flow over me I thought of my family and friends. They thought that I was dead. I thought of Charlie, of Jacob. What would they do now? What about Renee? The emotions going through me were more than I could bear. I could never see them again, or at least they couldn't see me. I comforted myself knowing that even though they believed I was gone, I could at least watch them as they lived out the rest of their lives. But then what? I would be alone. I couldn't possibly stay with the Cullens forever. _He_ was going to have to come back eventually and he made it clear that he didn't want me anymore.

I began to notice the strong burning in the back of my throat again and decided that I should probably get this over with. I stepped out of the shower and dried off. Alice had given me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to wear. Bless her for not forcing me to wear designer clothing for this. I slipped into the clothes, pulled my wet hair into a ponytail, not bothering to glance in the mirror, and then raced downstairs to join Alice and Jasper in the Cullen's living room.

Upon getting to the last step I realized that I had just done all of that faster than humanly possible. Alice and Jasper broke out with laughter as they took in my amazed expression. Alice danced over to me and grasped me in a hug that, if I were the old Bella, could have quite possibly landed me in the hospital. She was back to her old happy self and bouncing up and down with anticipation. "Are you ready for your first hunt?" She asked.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so this is my first Fanfic so I'm learning as I go. Don't worry The rest of the Cullens and Edward are on their way. Please review and let me know what you think, and if there's anything you'd like to see.

As always… Stephenie Meyer Owns Everything.

Chapter 4

Of course I wasn't ready for this. I gave a sigh and tried my best to work a smile on my face. It wasn't convincing, but it was all I had. "What's for dinner?" was all I could manage.

I felt a wave of calm wash over me as Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder. Alice grasped my hands in hers, and I noticed how strange it was that their touch was no longer cold. "Bella," Alice said, "Everything is going to be all right. We aren't going to let anything happen to you…" She glanced in Jasper's direction, "Or anyone else for that matter."

"Promise me," I Pleaded. "Promise me you won't let me hurt anyone." I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything bad happened. Alice smiled at me, "I promise. I already know everything is going to be all right… And we will be dinning on mountain lion."

As we walked out to the Cullen's garage Alice explained that we would be taking Emmett's Jeep, which he decided to leave in Forks, and heading up towards Mt. Rainier. It would be faster to run, she said, but since I would no doubt be so overcome with hunger at the scent of human blood, it would be safer if I was confined in the Jeep, and restrained in the back seat by Jasper.

I kept my eyes down as we entered the garage. I really didn't want to know if that stupid shiny Volvo was going to parked there, and the sight of it would probably bring on a lot of unwanted emotions. I climbed effortlessly into the back seat of the massive Jeep and buckled myself in for the ride. Jasper climbed in beside me, continuing his calming effect on me, which I was silently thankful for. Alice climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, and backed us out to the long driveway.

I was vuagely aware of Alice explaining what to expect during the trip, but all I could manage to do was stare out the windows as the sun slowly began to creep into the sky. Dark blue was fading into purple, and then to a faint pink. I had no idea what time it was, and it didn't matter now anyway. I would never sleep again. I guessed it was probably a good thing that it was so early, not many people are out at this time. Alice used her gift to make sure we wouldn't encounter any innocent bystanders on our trip and Jasper continued to keep his watch over me.

Try as I might, though, I couldn't keep my thoughts off of _Him_. What was he going to do when he found out? What about the rest of the family? The empty space inside me began to ache again when I felt a fresh wave of calmness and something else… Was Jasper trying to make me happy? He 

must have felt my pain. I looked at him, confused, and he just smiled back at me. Happiness wasn't an emotion I had felt in quite some time and I wasn't exactly sure that's what it really was.

I noticed that Alice had stopped speaking. I was not sure how long we had been driving in the silence, and if the reason she had stopped talking was because of my lack of interest in the conversation. I decided now was as good a time as any to ask. I could not wait any longer, I had to know.

"Alice?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"The rest of your family," I started. "Well, what all do they know? Are they coming back?"

She was silent for a moment. Most likely trying to decide what it really was that I wanted to know. "We called Carlisle as soon as we got you safely back from the meadow. They know what happened. Everyone except Edward. We aren't exactly sure where he is, so we don't know how to get in touch with him since he refuses to answer his phone. Carlisle said they were expecting him the past couple of days. He had been stopping by at least once a month, so they were going to wait and see if he showed up. But, I saw last night they will be on their way here today. Edward is not with them."

I mentally cringed everytime she spoke his name. I guessed it was a good thing that he would not be with the rest of his family, coming back to Forks for the one reason he made them leave in the first place. I shuddered at the thought of what his reaction might be to the news of what had happened to me. And then I started to giggle. Apparently Jasper thought I could use a good laugh. I glared at him, and then laughed again at the thought of how rediculous this whole situation was. It seems that Jasper thought he could be funny with his gift. That, or he was just tired of me pouting all the time.

We pulled off the road rather suddenly and drove several miles through the thick forest. I was surprised at how easily Emmett's Jeep seemed to navigate through the woods despite it's massive size. Finally, we came to a stop and climbed out of the Jeep.

Standing there, in the quiet of the early morning, it sounded as if the entire forest was alive. I could hear the sound of creatures walking through the underbrush, birds taking flight from their perches, and countless other sounds I had never heard before. I vuagely remembered that earlier I had heard Alice and Jasper moving through the house, and even having a muted conversation downstairs as I was getting ready. But at the time I thought nothing of it. Only now did I realize that I had never been able to overhear anyone in the Cullen house, as crowded as it was when everyone was there. Now, bombarded with all of these new sounds, I realized that I could hear, well, _everything._

It seemed that I could smell everything, too. The wind blew around me and brought, what seemed like, hundreds of scents with it. I could tell there were wild flowers in the distance to the east. The next gust brought with it something faintly appetizing. I turned my head in the direction of the scent and inhaled deeply. "What is that?" I asked. Alice and Jasper grinned at each other, "Mountain lion" Alice replied. I felt my mouth flooding with venom, the burning in my throat absolutely 

unbearable now. I quickly turned and ran in the direction the wind had blown in from, Alice and Jasper close behind.


End file.
